Russian group to set up provocations during religious celebrations in Kyiv – media

The move is aimed at imposing the Russian narrative of "unstable and divided" Ukraine as regards the idea of independence of its own Orthodox Church.

Photo from UNIAN

The Kremlin has tasked the Russian “Union of Orthodox Brotherhoods” with setting up provocations in Kyiv on the anniversary of Baptism of Kievan Rus amid a religious procession or following the events, according to Information Resistance OSINT group.

According to the information obtained by IR, the Russian Orthodox Church leaders instructed heads of its foreign missions to be prepared on July 27-29 to hold emergency meetings with politicians and journalists in their hosting countries immediately following reports from Ukraine about "clashes and mass riots" during or after the religious procession set up by the Moscow Patriarchate on July 27.

Ukrainian representatives of said organization are to ensure the involvement in provocations of Ukrainian nationals, divided into groups of "opponents of the Moscow Patriarchate" and "adepts of the Moscow Patriarchate." According to the plan, at the order and under supervision of coordinators from Russian secret services deployed in Ukraine for this purpose, the groups will start clashes in Kyiv streets.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia has been fiercely opposing Ukraine Orthodox Church's path toward gaining independence from Moscow. Amid numerous reports claiming the UOC has good chances to be granted autocephaly by Constantinople, Russian intelligence has boosted their efforts to undermine Ukraine's aspirations for religious independence, with Moscow's main narrative in this regard in its propaganda work being "Ukraine's genocide of "threats of a religious split" that may even result in "civil war" on religious grounds.

Ukrainian MP Vadym Novinksy, an ardent supporter of the Moscow Patriarchate from the entourage of disgraced ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, is also contributing to artificially raising the temperature of public tensions ahead of the Baptism celebrations.

In a recent interview with LB.ua he claimed he would personally defend the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra against supporters of Ukrainian church's independence, hinting at possible violence that the Russian propaganda claims will ensue if the Constantinople grants autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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